Ordnance.



W. C. BUCKHOUT.

ORDNANCE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28. m5.

' IAIVENTOR darizeiiflzawazm W. C. BUCK-HOUT.

ORDNA'NCE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-28,1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Sept. 26, 19-16.

W/fA/ESSES WILLIAM C. BUCKHOUT, OF YONKERS, NEW YORK.

ORIDNANCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

Application filed September 28, 1915. Serial No. 53,033.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM CORN LLBUoKHoU'r, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of LincolnPark Station, Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of NewYork, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ordnance, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide certain new and usefulimprovements in ordnance whereby the recoil or backward pressure on thebreech block is utilized to offset the longitudinal and circumferentialstrains, to render the ordnance exceedingly strong and durable and toinsure long life of the ordnance.

In order to accomplish the desired result use is made of equalizingmeans connected with the muzzle of the tube and with a fixed partintermediate the muzzle and the. breech lockso that the gas pressure onthe breech block prevents the tube from moving backward, at the sametime the casing exerts a pressure on the tube to press the latterlaterally and longitudinally with a force approximately equal to thebackward pressure exerted against the breech block.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings forming a. part of this specification, in whichsimilar- Ic'jiti'aoters of reference indicate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gun embodying the invention; Fig. 2 isa sectional plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is an enlargedplan View of'theanchoring means for anchoring the bands of the casing to the breech endof the casing; Fig. 4 is a cross section of the breech end of the gun;Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation of the anchoring means on the line55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is an inverted plan View of one of the casingbands; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a modified form of the invention;Fig. 8 is a sectional plan View of the same; and Fig. 9

is a cross section of the same on the line 99 of Fig. 8.

gun shown in Figs. 1 and 7 is in the form 'The body portion of thecasing 10 of the inner set of spiral bands are attached to an 'anchoringpiece 13 and the ends of the outer set of spiral bands are attached tothe terminals of the inner set of spiral bands, as

hereinafter more fully described. The anchoring piece 13 is secured tothe muzzle end of the tube 14 and which tube is preferably surrounded bya shell 14 to give the desired strength. The rear end of the tube 14 andits shell lt fits into an enlarged portion 15 of the bore 16 of thebreech end 11, and the rear edge of the tube 14 and its shell abutsagainst an annular shoulder 17 formed by the enlargement 15 of the bore16.- The anchoring piece 13 isconnected by sectional rods or links 18with trunnions 19 projecting from a yoke 20 through which extends thecasing 10, the trunnions 19 being journaled in the carriage 21 of thegun.

The ends of each inner spiral band of the casing 10 are provided withlugs 22' provided along their inner edges with teats 23, and the saidlugs 22 at the rear ends of the inner casing bands fit into an annulargroove 24 arranged exteriorly onthe breech end 11 of the casing. Theteats 23 fit into the notches 25 formed in the forward wall of theannular groove 24: so that the bands are not liable to shift in thegroove 24. The lugs 22 at the forward ends of the inner bands fit into agroove 26 formed in the anchoring piece 13 and the teats 23 of theforward lugs 22 fit into notches'27 at the rear wall of the groove 26.The outer spiral bands are provided at their ends with lugs 22 abuttingagainst the ends of the inner spiral bands, and the teats 23 of the saidlugs fit into notches formed in the ends of adjacent inner spiral bands.Thus both sets of spiral bands are securely fastened in place at theirends and the inner bands are wound spirally around the shell 14? of thetube 14, and the said bands also fit onto a filling piece 30 and-splitpacking rings 31 bands fit one against the other to form a very strongand durable casing of twosuperimposed sets of spiral bands.

It will be noticed that when the gun is fired the tube 14 and its shell14" are held against rearward or recoil movement by the rods 18connected with the trunnions 19 held against movement in the carriage 21and consequently the pressure exerted against the breech block 12'causes but a rearward movement of the casing end 11 which by itsconnection with the spiral bands or ribbons of the casing 10 cause thelatter to exert a pressure all around the shell 14% and tube 14, thuspressing the tube laterally and longitudinally with a force equal to thebackward pressure on the breech piece 11. sure on the breech blockoffsets or balances thecircumferential and longitudinal strains by beingtransformed into longitudinal and circumferential stresses.

.In the construction shown in Figs. 7 8

and 9 the same result is obtained by different means. The casing 40 isprovided with a conical bore 41 into which fits the conical exteriorface of the tube 42 abutting at its rear end on a breechpiece 43screwing in the rear end of the casing 40. On the muzzle of the tube 42is screwed or otherwise se-.

cured an anchoring piece 44 connected by sectional rods or links 45 withtrunnions 46 mounted in the carriage 47. The trunnions 46 extend from ayoke 48 surrounding the casing 40. It will be noticed that in this casethe tube 42 is held against rearward movement the same as abovedescribed in regard to the tube 14, and the rearward movement of thecasing 40 exerts a pressure on the entire exterior surface ofthe tube 42thereby utilizing the breech pressure to form circumferential andlongitudinal stresses offsetting the strains. It will also be noticedthat by the construction shown and described the gun can be readilytaken apart and put together in a short time thereby permittlngconvenient transportation over poor roads while the parts aredisassembled and also allowing replacing of any one of the parts in casethe same are worn out. 4

From the foregoing it will be seen that by the arrangement described agun of very Thus the force of the presheavy caliber can be constructedwhich has fihe desired degree of safety when being red.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1'. A gun, comprising a casing, a tube having its rear end abuttingagainst a shoulder on the breech end of the casing, and means connectedwith the muzzle of the said tube and with a fixed part of the mountintermediate the ends of the tube, said casing having means for exertinga circum ferential pressure on the tube during the firing of the gun.

2. A gun, comprising a casing having spiral bands and a breech end,trunnions intermediate the breech end and the muzzle end,"a tubeslidable within the said casing and having its rear end abutting againstthe said breech end of the casing, anchoring means held on the muzzleend of the said tube, rods connecting the said anchoring means with thesaid trunnions, the said casing having spiral bands being woundexternally on the said tube, the forward ends of the bands beingattached to the said anchoring means and the rear ends of the said bandsbeing attached to the said breech end of the casing.

3. A gun, comprising a casing having spiral bands and a breech end,trunnions intermediate the breech end and the muzzle end, a tubeslidable within the said casing and having its rear end abutting againstthe said breech end of the casing, anchoring means held on the muzzleend of the said tube, rods connecting the said anchoring means with thesaid trunnions, the said casing having spiral bands wound externally onthe said tube, the forward ends of the bands being attached to the saidanchoring means and the rear ends of the said bands being attached .tothe said breech end of the casing, and packing rings engaged by the saidspiral bands and surrounding the said tube adjacent the breech end ofthe casing.

4. A gun, comprising a'casing having a bore provided with an annularshoulder at its breech end, a tube slidable in thejcasing and abuttingwith its rear end against the said shoulder, muzzle anchoring means at-1,199,681 a I v ter being formed 'of'spiral bands, wound In testimonywhereof I have signed my around the said tube and having their ends nameto this specification in the presence secured in position by saidanchoring means, of tWo subscribing Witnesses.

and resistance rods fixed at their rear ends WILLIAM C. BUCKHOUT. andconnected at their forward ends With WVitnesses-z the anchoring means onthe muzzle end of THEO. G. Hos'rER,

the tube. PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

